


Damsel in distress

by ULTIOcean



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A little bit of angst, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood, But it's there, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hugs, Keith is done with him too, Kidnapping, Kisses, Lance is so done with him, Like holy shit so much fluff, Lotor is a douche, M/M, Married Couple, Married Klance, Open Ending, Resourceful Lance, and kinda obsessive, because it's me we're talking about, just a teeny bit, older klance, protective keith, the Matt/Shiro is implied, vast amounts of cradling, way too many kisses, way too much kidnapping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-09 05:05:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12269487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ULTIOcean/pseuds/ULTIOcean
Summary: Finding himself in quite the predicament (again), Lance takes a moment to reminisce about what had been the happiest moments of his life, gathering years worth of memories, reliving some of them while he waits for rescue inside his prison.It was ridiculous, really, how, even after so long, Lotor was still ticked off by what happened back then, it hadn't even been that bad, but the prince wouldn't rest until he proved he was smarter than Lance, Galran honor and all that jazz.He'll just let him believe that he got what he wanted, after all, Lance didn't have to worry, his partner would come soon, and Lotor would be pretty much fucked.





	Damsel in distress

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so, wow, I have edited this like a thousand times and I'm still not happy with it. I changed many things and edited and erased and god knows how many hours I spend on this, I still don't fully like the end result, but I was tired of looking at it, please just take this fic away from me, jesus christ.  
> It seems all my inspiration is being channeled to my ongoing fic (which is going really good), and this one began as a funny one shot i planned to work in whenever I felt like it, only it evolved into something else and I just....didn't even know anymore.  
> Still, hope you enjoy this, it was fun working on it, no matter how nuts it drove me, it's fluffy and sappy and overall, me trying my hand at soft bois in love.  
> As always, feel free to share your thoughts with me.  
> Read end notes for an age chart for Lance and Keith if you get confused, there's spoilers, so i recommend looking at it after reading the fic :)  
> Love, ULTI.

**Damsel in distress**

Keith was going to kill him, he was sure of it.

Well, not literally _kill_ him, no, they had stopped the whole hate thing a long time ago, but he was pretty sure that right now, back at the castle, Keith was seething, wanting to strangle Lance for getting into this mess. It honestly hadn't even been his fault, it had been a long time since he had let his guard down, and it had been months, at least, since he found himself in this kind of predicament, not that it would matter to the Red paladin, he would still berate Lance and talk his ear off for hours after this was over.

Just thinking about it made him sigh, he wasn't looking forward to that, Keith could be really intense when he wanted to, and knowing what awaited him after this whole ordeal was over only filled him with dread. As he thought about his teammate, though, he couldn't help the memories from a time long past that came back to him, remembering the moment that changed the course of their lives.

It had been when they finally managed to kill Zarkon, two years in on their mission, the bastard had been able to get away many times before, but right then on that ship, they had him cornered, and they had made sure that he was really dead, nothing left of him but ashes. He knew this, because he had been there to witness it, to watch the fall of a tyrant that had enslaved and hurt so many people, it had been intense and anxiety inducing.

The moment was forever ingrained on his mind, it was an occasion that he would never forget, no matter how many years passed by.

\--

He was covering both Shiro's and Keith's backs when it happened, sudden and without warning, a really quick and practically invisible galran soldier ran at him from the other side of the room, silent and full of killing intent. He was way too focused on sniping at some general to notice the guy until it was too late, and when he finally saw him out of the corner of his eye, the soldier had already pulled the trigger and shot him on the shoulder, his scream echoing throughout the room.

Enraged and not willing to fail the most important mission up to date, he shot the bastard until he fell, still and unmoving, but the damage was already done, his good shooting arm was rendered useless, and he had to sit and lean against the metal wall as a bout of dizziness threatened to knock him out. Looking around, he quickly assessed the situation, and realized with glee that he had managed to defeat every soldier that dared come close to him or his teammates, he had fulfilled his part of the mission, he had succeeded.

He sighed in relief and slumped a bit against the wall, his hand covering his shoulder, blood was slowly seeping from it, but it was slow, nothing that was life threatening, just enough to annoy him and keep him out of the battle. While he sat there, breathing slowly, his comms were going crazy, Hunk was shouting commands to some rebel group, asking for assistance and redirecting them where they were needed, while Pidge was yelling, cackling as she hacked anything in her range and destroyed everything with her programs.

Allura and Coran where using the castle to shot at anything that dared try to escape, keeping things organized and barking orders at the Blade members while simultaneously helping the injured and changing tactics according to the situation.

That only left Keith and Shiro to account for, and it was easy enough to locate them.

They were both fighting Zarkon on the other side of the room he was in, Haggar lay somewhere to their right, she had been the first to get killed, her magic being the most dangerous variable. She had landed a few hits on them, leaving them bruised, bleeding, and with some broken bones, but with their teamwork and the strategy they had come up with, she stood no chance, she finally fell to one of the most accurate shots Lance had ever fired, it had been bullseye.

Afterwards, her magic had faded away almost instantly, weakening the Emperor, and they had taken that chance, the only one they would ever have, to put all their efforts into defeating Zarkon.

From what he could see, both his friends were attacking in tandem, watching each other's backs while simultaneously combining attacks and dodges, knowing each other's moves and reactions like the back of their hand, it looked like they were dancing, their movements a whirlwind too fast for the human eye to see, fluid and graceful, incessant, without respite, it was _beautiful_ and Lance couldn't help but be mesmerized by it.

They continued edging on, one slice after another, conviction never wavering, determination in every swipe, and in a matter of minutes, they had him overwhelmed.

He watched in awe and anticipation as both his teammates ran Zarkon through with their bayards, Shiro's rapier and Keith's sword glinting in the dim lights of the ship, he saw as the galran's eyes lost his glow and his skin paled, watched as his life drained out of him and he began dissolving like dust, leaving nothing in his wake but a worn out cape that had been a gift from Alfor himself.

Lance was frozen in place, heart beating frantically against his ribcage, about to leap off his chest, he was suddenly overwhelmed an felt himself tearing up, hands going to his mouth to muffle the sob that threatened to escape his lips. He closed his eyes for a tick and opened them again, looking back at his friends, and watched as Keith straightened up, bloodied, clutching his bayard way too tight, sweating and gasping for breath, his armor broken and dented in many places, soot and debris covering him from head to toe, and still so, _so beautiful._

He rested his gaze on the red paladin and felt an all-encompassing sense of pride, he had accomplished what they all had been fighting for, he had been victorious, it was over. And in that moment, heart bursting at the seams with happiness, there was nothing else on his mind, no thoughts to follow, no plan, only Keith, himself and his immense feelings of love and adoration blooming to the surface, no longer being able to hold back.

He ran like a madman towards the red paladin, tripping a few times and nearly falling to the ground face first, but he managed to keep going, smiling as he teared up again, making a beeline for his objective, Keith barely got to glance his way and begin asking what was wrong, before Lance jumped and glomped him without mercy, smooching the hell out of him, kissing him smack on the lips, it was done without thinking, an instinctual reaction to the realization that _'They had won'_ and _'He was so fucking proud'_.

So he hadn't even thought of the possibility of Keith not liking him back. When his brain worked again, though, he came to his senses, and bashfully tried to get away, blushing and stuttering all the while, only for Keith to hold him in a crushing embrace and kiss him back, fiercely, warm, with fire in his eyes and on his lips, it was _perfect_ , and he thought that moment could never be surpassed.

He had thought _wrong._

Because not a tick later, Keith held him by the waist and sneaked a hand around his back and fucking _dipped_ him while still kissing him passionately - _never mind that a ten thousand year old dictator had died a few feet away_ \- and his heart had soared as he cried and giggled, the red paladin holding him in his arms, full of warmth, grounding him, letting him feel that this was _real_.

It was one of the happiest moments of his life.

Afterwards, they quickly retreated after making sure that both Zarkon and Haggar were really dead, blowing up every remnant of that galra fleet. As soon as they reunited with the other paladins, though, hugs were exchanged, tears were shed, nobody could believe that it was over, that everything that they'd strived for, all their efforts, had finally come to fruition.

They were overjoyed.

That changed, though, when they actually looked at both he and Keith and saw the state they were in, without letting them complain or argue about it, his friends rushed them to the cryo pods while Keith glared at him, worried that he'd been hurt and didn't think to tell him earlier.

He apologized and they both promised to talk when they were released from sleep.

Some hours later, as soon as both their pods opened, he found himself with an armful of Keith, the red paladin's tense muscles relaxing in Lance's presence, at having him safe and sound in his arms. Lance, for the most part, squeezed the other tight and breathed in deep, loving how safe and calm he felt in his embrace. They walked to Lance's room after that, hand in hand, sitting on the bed for a while before he couldn't take the silence anymore and began talking.

He laid out everything that was him, his insecurities, his fears, his hopes and dreams, and Keith did the same, sharing things that he had never told anyone. Both of them apologized for the things they did in the past, all the fights, the insults, the distance they put between each other, all of that seemed so pointless now when he looked into Keith's eyes and saw so much affection and warmth.

They shared secrets, whispered confessions, opened up, their feelings raw for the other to see, showed the core of what made them who they were, without barriers, without _walls_.

Lance confessed, albeit a bit ashamed to do so, that he had a crush on him for the longest time back at the Garrison, and that the only reason he had started the rivalry thing, was because it hurt that he didn't remember him. Keith admitted to him that he actually knew who he was, but because he was awkward with people, and didn't know what was expected of him when you were actually acquainted with someone, decided it was best to start from zero, and then he got confused when Lance seemingly hated him.

Lance laughed then, calling the both of them idiots, because if they had communicated better, actually talking like adults, all the drama they had in the past could have been avoided, and it would have saved Lance many nights crying because of an unrequited love.

Keith blanched at that piece of information, and proceeded to hold him tight and apologize, but he just chuckled and snuggled on Keith's side, enjoying the way the red paladin was squeezing him, he didn't think he'll ever grow tired of it.

After talking for hours and laying each other bare, they kissed, and hugged, and Lance suggested a cuddle fest to make up for the lost time, Keith really didn't know what that entailed, not too used to physical touch, but agreed anyway because it was Lance that was asking, and he could deny him nothing.

Hours later, Keith admitted to Lance that when he woke up the next day to see him snuggled up on his side, hair a curly mess, mouth slightly open and soft blush covering his cheeks, that he actually liked the feeling of sleeping next to someone, the comfort it brought. And that watching Lance sleeping next to him brought him such joy it made his eyes well up, wondering how he could have gotten so lucky.

Keith confessed that he wouldn't give this up for anything in the world.

Lance had eagerly agreed.

\--

He remembered those moments fondly, no matter the situation he was in, they had become boyfriends after that, and it had been wonderful and full of surprises, new feelings and sensations all around, and he had felt on cloud nine. They had dates and anniversaries, they had fights and argued, but never to the point of no return, they usually came to an agreement, a deal that satisfied them both, and then they would apologize and talk things over again until the matter was settled.

They always felt like shit when they fought, and every time they made up, Lance felt like he could take on all of the galra by himself, as long as he knew he had Keith by his side.

Everyone had been overjoyed when they had announced their new status, back then, some reactions had been hilarious, but most of them were, in a nutshell, _'It was about time'_ , and he'd noticed just how oblivious he had been, but he was young and inexperienced back then, so it was to be expected.

People on the Voltron Alliance had learnt of their relationship, and as time passed by, their teamwork had become perfect, one filling the gaps for the other, always having each other's backs, timing their moves and working in sync. It had been so noticeable, that the aliens of the Coalition had begun calling them the _'Warrior couple'_ , it was a silly name, but people loved the idea of someone fighting for love, believing that it was a beautiful reason to fight for and that it would strengthen their bonds, supporting and nurturing each other.

Though, not everyone thought like that, there had been one mission, a diplomatic one, in which there was a party, and Lance had denied any advances the inhabitants had made at him, Keith glaring at each one from the other side of the room. He had joined his boyfriend as fast as he could, and made it very clear that he was taken and happy, and he did not appreciate their insistence. His suitors had been mad, and fumed before wandering a few feet away from them, murmuring amongst themselves, but still loud enough that both him and Keith could hear them.

They began spewing bullshit, then, saying that love between paladins was ' _Unbecoming and unprofessional'_ , and that it was bound to end in tragedy because ' _The blue one was the weakest and would probably die first_ '. They said that no matter what, they were at war, and there was no way both of them were going to survive, then they joked about the many ways Lance could die, going from the info they had heard about his fighting abilities, then spouting really indecent and offensive things, and before he could even blink, Keith had been right in front of those guys, eyes alight with the fire he so loved, burning hot with rage.

He had raised his fist and decked one of the aliens right on the nose, then proceeded to kick the other on the stomach, whispering threats and warning them about talking that way about his boyfriend ever again, voice cold and hard, protective and ruthless. Lance had tried really, really hard to deny the fact that he found it really hot.

He hadn't been able to do it.

With the coalition stronger that ever, and Zarkon out of the picture, though, they only had Lotor left, but the guy was sneaky as he was annoying, they had been tailing the guy for years, always managing to catch his trail, but never him, it had been really frustrating.

But it was after one such mission to free a planet from Lotor's goons that another special moment had occurred, so he wasn't complaining, he gazed back at his right hand, and saw, through his blurred vision, a spark of red, shining bright even in the darkness that surrounded him.

It brought back the memories of that day, and with nothing better to do, he reminisced.

\--

He was sick at the castle, confined to his room and forced to rest by Allura and Coran, who told him to stay put and not strain himself. They had been fighting some galran battleships, courtesy of Lotor, when he'd suddenly got dizzy and his vision had blurred slightly, he'd made it as far as walking down Blue's ramp before he'd nearly collapsed, his legs trembling like jelly.

Thankfully, Keith had been there to catch him, and with a worried frown marring his beautiful face, he had swooped Lance into his arms, making him swoon, and brought him to the med bay, where Coran had determined he had a cold and was in need of rest.

And that's where he found himself now, two days later, laying on his side on the bed, trying to sleep off the last remnants of his cold. It wouldn't be so boring if his boyfriend was just _there_ , but he had disappeared for the past two days, and Lance just saw him when he came to eat, and sleep, he was beginning to get suspicious, and kinda lonely. He was used to have him on the bed or sat next to him on the couch, without his presence everything just felt...colorless, dull.

His mind blanked for a tick and he huffed, a voice really similar to Pidge's screaming _'Clingy'_ over and over inside his brain, he was _not_ clingy, he just...he missed his boyfriend dammit, Lance craved physical contact like a sunflower sought the sun, and over the years Keith had gotten used to it, holding hands, caressing each other's cheeks, running their hands through their hair....it was their thing.

He had to admit that their relationship had been going really well so far, it had been three years already, and sometimes he couldn't believe that he was so lucky as to have Keith as his lover, just being together, watching the red paladin smile at him or hear his laugh, was enough to make his heart race like he was nineteen all over again. They spent all the time they could together, just cuddling, talking, sleeping... sometimes not talking at all, just basking in each other's presence and cherishing the happiness that they got to share, side by side.

He turned and lay on his back, looking at the ceiling with a dopey smile on his face, just thinking about Keith's voice and his warmth made him feel safe and sleepy, his eyes fluttered once, twice, before they remained closed.

He drifted off with the sound of Keith's laughter echoing around him.

Keith didn't return until two days later, and by then, Lance was cured and ready to go take a look at the planet, excited about all the new things he would get to see, but his boyfriend informed him that he had a schedule written down and he was taking him out on a _date_. He was delighted, and actually squealed before kissing him on the cheek and tugging him towards the castle entrance, eager to see what was in store for him.

Surprisingly, the planet was really similar to earth, but he wasn't able to focus on that for long, because Keith held his hand, guiding him through the crowds and towards what looked like a space mall. He raised and eyebrow and looked at his lover, wondering what they were going to do, he was a curious person by nature, he couldn't help but ask.

"Hey, babe, why are we going to the mall?" Keith gazed back at him, smiling wide, and _oh_ , Lance knew that one, it was the one that promised _fun_ _things_ , the mischievous one that always meant he was planning something big, something _romantic_ , and Lance couldn't wait.

"You'll see, c'mon, let's go shopping." His lover tugged his hand and winded an arm around him, holding him close to his chest, it was unfair, but a few years ago, Keith finally had his growth spurt, outmatching Lance by a mere inch, he'd been outraged, then, throwing a fit like he was a child, but eventually, he'd begun seeing the upside to it, the cuddles had improved, he could lift Lance up like he was made of paper and sleeping on his broad chest was heavenly.

He hadn't complained again after that.

He'd also let his hair grow, not caring to trim it or taking care of it, no matter how much Lance pestered him, and it reached his mid back now, he is not ashamed to admit he loves braiding it and running his fingers though it, it's relaxing and he coos every time Keith purrs, no matter how much he denies it being an actual purr _(he has ears, and he had cats, he knows what a purr sounds like, Keith.)_

He came back to the present when they entered a store, and Keith began telling him to try on whatever he wanted, he happily obliged, trying on coats and shirts, he even sneaked in a skirt or two and a few dresses, all in all, it was very fun. He laughed when Keith tried on some cowboy like clothes, trying in vain to sound like one but failing hard, since he had never watched any western movies, eventually cracking up and joining Lance, laugh loud and boisterous and perfect.

It was a sound he would never get tired of hearing.

They ended up purchasing some formal clothes that they left back at the castle, before Keith informed him they needed to go to the next stop.

"Oooooh, not gonna tell me what it is?" He grinned, excited about what surprise his boyfriend would delight him with next.

"Nope, it's a surprise, but put on some comfortable shoes, we're gonna be walking for a while." He did just that and they both left hand in hand, after that, Keith took him sightseeing, they visited the most famous places around the planet, the zoo, the planetarium, the museum, the amusement park, and many more. Everything was alien, therefore different (he doesn't even want to remember the zoo, holy shit those were some weird creatures) but he was having so much fun, they even took pictures to make an album later, this was the best date ever -not that the previous ones weren't- but Keith really outdid himself this time, and it got even better a few hours later.

After they were done visiting all the touristic places, he took Lance to a nice, romantic dinner on a really pleasant hotel like resort, they laughed and drank wine _(space wine?_ ), not enough to be drunk, no, because the red paladin said he left the best for last and he would really like Lance to be sober for it. They paid and left the building, Keith guiding him through the trees and bushes for about fifteen minutes.

The sun had begun to set, painting the sky in strange colors, the trees around him shining as the leaves swayed to the soft breeze that blew around them, he smelled something he thought he recognized, nose perking up at the familiar feeling, and then he heard it, the sound of waves, the noise filling his ears and heart, bringing him a sense of nostalgia.

They arrived at the beach, the lilac sky and pinkish sand not enough to take away his happiness of feeling like he was home again. It wasn't, not really, but it was as close as he was going to get, and he appreciated that Keith had been so thoughtful about this, he felt his heart swell with affection, and wanted to show it to his lover, but when he turned to look back at him, his gaze fell down, and he froze.

Keith was down in the sand, on one knee, he had a small box in his hand that was open to reveal a dark red ring that shined as bright as crackling fire, looking like it had starlight trapped within. Keith looked up at Lance with such warmth and love in his eyes, that he'd begun to cry before he even said anything, hands going to his mouth, heart beating a mile per hour.

"Lance...I love you more than I could have ever imagined, you fill my life with joy and a happiness so intense I never thought possible could exist, you shine as bright as the sun and scatter away the dark clouds that block my path. You are everything I could ever ask for, my soulmate, my other half, my balance, _my love_ , I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I know I want to cherish you and your smile for as long as I live." Lance was weeping at this point, never in a million years had he imagined that he would feel so much joy, he was bursting at the seams, overwhelmed, overflowing, he never thought it was possible to hold so much love for one person.

Clearly, he had been wrong.

"Lance McClain, would you do me the honor of marrying me?" He babbled a yes, and barely gave Keith time to put the ring on his finger before he threw himself at him and kissed him with all his might, crying and giggling, peppering his face and neck with kisses. He noticed that his lover....no, his _fiance_ was crying too, something he didn't get to see often, and while he hated the thought of him weeping, the tears he was shedding right now were of happiness, and he was okay with that, he kissed his tears away and softly whispered how enamoured and completely gone he was for him.

They walked back to the hotel and spent one of the most passionate nights they ever had, he was sure the hotel staff was going to blacklist them for being too loud and disturbing the other customers, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

When they arrived back at the castle the next day, what awaited him were hugs and tears and a whole lot of congratulations, everyone was overjoyed and giddy, and he felt like nothing could take him down in that moment. Everyone congratulated Keith on the ring, and Lance learnt that he had carved it himself from a stone called 'Firegem', originary to the planet they were in, he was awed and actually cried a little more, but his face fell when he realized that his fiance didn't have one.

"It's okay, Lance, we can buy one on the stores here, I'm sure there's plenty." He shook his head and chewed on his lip, Keith had given Lance something amazing, something special, something that was just for _them_ ,unique, there was not another ring like that in the whole universe, he had tried his best and by god was Lance going to do the same.

He actually ran away a tick later, Keith shouting at him to come back, distressed at his behavior, but he just ran and ran and asked every alien on the planet about the mineral Keith had used, eventually finding someone that told him that a water gem mirror to the fire one existed, though you had to swim to get to them and even then, they were extremely rare to find.

He took his chances anyway, luckily for him, he was a fantastic swimmer.

So he dove into the ocean with purpose, searching for hours with Blue's help, and finally, under some carnivorous corals, he found one, he clutched it tight between his scratched hands and swam quickly towards the surface. As soon as he broke through, he looked at it, it shined in blue hues, but it looked as if the ocean was trapped inside, little waves ebbing and flowing, creating an illusion of a tiny sea. He smiled, closing his eyes while clutching it to his chest, and then ran to the shore, collected his belongings and walked back to the castle.

As soon as he got there, though, Keith was fussing over him, berating him from getting wet in the cold when he had just recovered from his illness.

But then he showed his lover the stone, and he fell silent.

"I know you said you didn't care, but you made me something really special, and I wanted to do the same to you, they told me this rock was hard to find, but that I might get some in the ocean. I wanted to carve it for you, but... I'm not good at that kind of things so...." Before he could finish, Keith hugged him, resting his cheek against Lance's temple, and he could feel tiny tremors run trough his body as he softly whispered.

"Thank you, I love you." And he couldn't help but chuckle, it wasn't like he did something amazing, but Keith seemed to think otherwise, promising to carve it beautifully, and then pushing Lance to take a shower and put on some warm pajamas so he would not get sick again.

That night, they slept curled closely to each other, limbs mingling together, Lance's head cradled on Keith's chest, both holding each other, enjoying their shared warmth and sharing tender kisses and caresses, eventually lulling themselves to sleep, their hands shining a mixture of blue and red.

\--

They had actually gotten married the next day, a surprise from their friends who had prepared everything beforehand, and they had the ceremony on the beach, Lance dressed in a white and blue altean suit, while Keith's was black and red.

It had been beautiful, and no one got away without crying, not even Shiro, whom everyone pestered later on, urging him to call Matt and ask him the question already, make it official, since they acted like they were married already, Pidge's words.

Their vows had been spoken from the heart, and Lance ended up sobbing like a small child, sad that his family couldn't be there, but so happy at the same time, with his new mismatched family crying and beaming around him, sharing his happiness in what had been one of the most blissful moments of his life.

Though, as soon as the ceremony was over, Keith had smooched the hell out of him, and he'd ascended to heaven, forgetting all his troubles. What followed had been one wild party, and an even wilder night, it was spent sharing touches and soft kisses, whispering breathless 'I love you's', murmuring praises and promises of eternity, losing themselves in each other and mapping every nook and cranny of their bodies with reckless abandon.

It had been magical.

Though Pidge had teased them the next day, saying something about having a 'Wild honeymoon', and for the next couple hours, they had to endure the embarrassment the other paladins brought, but it had been worth it, it had been perfect.

He looked back at his right hand, and his gaze softened as he looked at his ring, still as beautiful as the first time he laid his eyes on it, though his eyes hardened as they landed on the metal shackle around his wrist. His left hand was chained to the wall, keeping his arm up and cramping his muscles, while the right one was on a longer chain, also tied to the wall, but long enough to rest his arm on his thigh. Both his feet were also chained, and he raised his eyebrows at the number of chains nailed to the walls around him, it was a bit overkill, in his honest opinion, not that he blamed Lotor, though, he had tried to trap Lance many, many times before over the last year, but his efforts were always in vain.

He still remembers the first time he had been kidnapped by the galran prince, it had been about three weeks after their wedding, on a fight to liberate a planet surrounded by meteorites and space junk. Lance had dubbed the place 'Space's trash can' while his husband faceplamed and pleaded for him to 'P _lease, stop calling it that, if one of the_ _inhabitants hears you, they won't join the alliance for sure, and we need all the help we can get against Lotor and his forces',_ he had agreed, of course, but not without pouting first - to show his displeasure- for good measure.

They had left the lions when the battleships had been taken care of, and joined the fray down on the planet's surface, Lance shooting with his dual pistols at anything that dared approach his teammates, while Keith slashed his enemies away, sweeping through them like they were made of paper. He had told the others he was going to search for higher ground, to find a spot from where he could snipe better and cover their backs as they infiltrated the building in front of them. He will admit that he'd been a teeny tiny bit distracted by Keith's butt, which he could see very clearly from where he was looking though the lens, he was mesmerized by his battle moves and his agile and swift movements, he loved to watch him fight.

It was like he was born for it, his body graceful as he swiped his sword in an arc and incinerated every sentry in his near vicinity, Lance nearly had a heart attack when he did a roundhouse kick and then a back flip, kicking a soldier away in the process, he was so, so in love, it wasn't even funny.

So yeah, he'd been distracted -though still sniping away at the drones that tried to sneak up behind his family- so it was no wonder that he didn't notice when someone suddenly teleported right behind him, he barely had time to turn back, a warning from Blue ringing loud in his mind, and he'd just caught a glimpse of white hair and purple skin before Lotor had kicked him in the stomach, snatched his bayard away, and knocked him out with a strong as hell punch to the face.

The last thing he'd heard had been Keith's screams of rage as he was carried away to an unknown location, what happened after was another fond memory he'd kept close to his heart.

\--

When he woke up, he realized he was on a galran prison cell, held captive, one leg chained to the wall, which he found really archaic, _'I mean, we're in space, they must have something more up-to-date than these outdated shackles, but apparently not.'_

He sat for hours on the cold, damp floor before getting increasingly bored as the minutes ticked by, he wanted to go back home, to Keith, wanted to hold his hand and peck his cheeks, wanted to cuddle and braid his hair, wanted to hear his voice. It was then that he decided waiting for the others to rescue him was not his style, so he would try to get out on his own.

He began his newfound mission by trying to talk to the guards and sentries, which didn't go very well, since they were trained to not let anything slip by, but he was resourceful, and his incessant talking eventually managed to tick off one guy, Rakh, if he remembered right, to finally say something.

"You inferior being, stop talking already! As soon as the prince and his generals get here you're in for it! They will get any information out of you, and it won't be pretty." Rakh smirked, his teeth showing, and Lance mimicked that expression, he loved it when people unknowingly played by his rules without even noticing it, he just got all the data he needed to asses the situation, and the best part was that the guy didn't even know it.

What he got out of it was basically this, Lotor was not on this ship, neither were his generals, they were on their way, but not here yet, and the prince wanted him alive for questioning and possible torture, eager to get info from Voltron out of him. With that piece of information, he knew he could escape, his plan was simple, fake being hurt and get them to open the door, then beat the shit out of them, go to the hangars, steal a ship, and go back home.

Easy.

With his unusual MacGyver like skills and his improvisation, he managed to gather some pointy spork he found and other trinkets he could use to defeat the guards, he also took his food tray and mixed the strange goo there with his own blood, making the paste red, after tampering with his surroundings for another half an hour, he waited for the guards to change turns, and put his plan in action.

He laid on the floor, splattering the red goo all over the floor and laying above it, smearing some of it on his face and neck, he then proceeded to shriek as loud as he could, and stayed still, waiting. A few minutes later, a guard cursed as he looked trough the laser bars, murmuring something in galran before asking his companion for help.

"What happened?" The guard's voice was uncaring and completely flat.

"No idea, I heard he was hurt before being thrown here, but I didn't know it was this bad. Should I just leave him to rot in there?"

"Can't, the prince wants to question him for information on Voltron, he needs him alive, we'll get punished if he dies." More cursing followed that comment, and with a whirring sound, that he supposed were the laser bars coming down, footsteps approached him, fast and without hesitation. As soon as they stopped and he knew they were close enough, he opened his eyes abruptly, focusing on how close they were, if they had weapons, what were the best moves to use to incapacitate them both as quickly as he could.

He jumped to his feet, mindful of the chain around it, and stabbed the guy closest to him with the pointy spork, right on the neck, killing him instantly, he then whirled around, and kicked the other guy on the solar plexus, leaving him breathless, but this one was strong, and retaliated with a slash to his face, leaving three claw marks on his cheek, oh man, Keith was gonna be pissed.

He fought, kicked and punched and dodged, and when he finally found an opening, he headbutted the soldier, positioned himself behind the guy, and held him by the neck, suffocating him until he passed out. Drained and tired, he sat down, but he knew he didn't have time to rest, he needed to get out and soon, before the sentries realized what was going on. He took the gun the guard had on his holster and shot the chain, then ran away as fast as he could, searching for his bayard.

Following Blue's presence that was imbued in his bayard, he managed to find it along with his helmet, feeling safer now that he had his trusty blaster with him, he walked trough the hallways intent on finding the hangar bay, hoping to god he could steal one, though without galra genes, that was going to be difficult...damn, he hadn't thought about that.

He thought he was getting close to his destination when he heard a voice shouting in rage, a voice he recognized.

"Where the hell is my husband? Where is the Blue paladin? You better tell me or god help you I'm gonna slaughter you and everyone on this damned base." Lance carefully peered from the corner, and saw Keith, with his flaming sword in hand, threatening to rip the soldier a new one if he didn't tell him where Lance was, and swearing to every god he knew that if they had hurt him, they were gonna regret it on the next life.

He was _not_ ashamed to admit he swooned and sighed like a lovestruck teenager.

His husband was hot, so sue him.

He aimed his blaster and shot said guard, Keith whirling around so fast he was scared he was going to get whiplash, he was tense and his face was contorted in fury, but as soon as he saw Lance, mostly unharmed and smiling guiltily, his features softened and his shoulders sagged, relief evident on his eyes. Lance just barely opened his mouth to speak when his lover was there, crushing him in a too tight embrace, arms shaking and breaths quick, and he realized his husband had been scared, not knowing what happened to him, if he was even alive.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm fine, I'm sorry I worried you." Keith shook his head, a few strands of hair tickling Lance on the face, he just held on tighter, running his hand through Keith's scalp, knowing this usually relaxed the anxious paladin.

"I know it's not your fault, you don't have to apologize, but if you ever do that again, I'm going to kill you." Lance laughed, loud and boisterous, and he felt his lover relax even more, finally freeing him from the hug, the red paladin ran his eyes over Lance's frame, touching and patting every scrape and bruise, every cut and injury, frowning hard when he recounted how many there were.

"You're pretty banged up." Keith caressed his cheek, wiping away some of the blood there.

"Ehhh, not all of this is blood, you know, I had to trick the guards so I could escape, some of this is just galran goo, and the bruises and stuff, well, half of it it's Lotor's fault -Keith growled- the other half was one of the guards I managed to trick." He smiled up at Keith, beaming and proud of the stunt he pulled, the red paladin just sighed and rested his forehead against Lance's, his arm sneaking around him to hold his waist.

"Okay, we'll talk more about this later, we need to get going, Red is just outside, waiting." He backed away and offered Lance his hand, which he took, and without looking back they ran towards the exit and boarded the lion, who purred in content at having her two paladins back safe.

"Awww, I missed you too, girl, how's Blue?" The answer he got was basically a growl imbued with the feeling of _'Mad'_ and _'Ready to murder'_ , which, fair, his lion was really protective of him, maybe as much as Red, and would have come, guns blazing, if Keith hadn't gone on ahead, which by the way...

"Did you come alone?" He narrowed his eyes as Keith flinched slightly "Keith, look at me, do the others know you came to get me?" His husband gazed back at him, a pout adorning his face, brows scrunched up, and Lance rolled his eyes, exasperation in his tone.

"Oh my god Keith, you can't do that, we had an agreement, never work alone, wait for the team to figure out a plan! They are probably worried sick right now." The red paladin huffed, crossing his arms while putting Red on autopilot.

"I'm sorry okay? Blue was frantic, itching to just go and obliterate whoever took you, I didn't know if it was because you were hurt or...or something worse. I just couldn't stay back at the castle, doing nothing...I was worried, terrified that I could have lost you... I...I missed you." Lance's gaze softened, he didn't know how many hours he stayed on that cell, it didn't feel long to him, but he was unconscious before that, so it could have been half a day, he knew if he'd been on Keith's shoes, he'll probably have done the same, he couldn't really blame him.

He walked over to the pilot chair, and sat on Keith's thighs, facing him, straddling his hips.

"It's okay, I get it, I would have probably done the same, but you have to promise to wait next time, it could have been a trap, and if something happened to you because of me, I would have never forgived myself." Keith nodded, thought it was obvious he was reluctant to do so.

"Thanks, _cariño_ , then, in return, I promise not to get so distracted by your butt mid fight that a galran prince ends up kidnapping me." Keith sputtered and got red in the face, looking at Lance in disbelief before wringing his hands close to his ribs and tickling him mercilessly.

"Oh my god, I can't believe you!! That's why they took you by surprise? You're unbelievable! We've been married for three years!" Lance laughed, crying in mirth, not being able to stop, he wheezed and cackled, wiggling his body around, trying to free himself of this torture.

"Ahahaha, I'm-I'm sorry-oh god stop- I just- I can't help it you're- hahaha- you're really, really beautiful!" The tickling stopped and he gasped, trying to catch his breath, some giggles still escaping his lips as he trembled, eventually, though, he found his voice again.

"It's just...sometimes I get lost in you, in everything that you are, sometimes I look at you and wonder how could I get so lucky to be able to call you mine, to receive your love and get to love you, sometimes I look at you and it seems like time hasn't passed, because I feel as in love as I was the first time I laid eyes on you at the Garrison." Keith gasped, eyes tearing up, eyelashes catching the drops as they formed but never fell, then his mouth slowly widened, and formed one of the most gorgeous smiles he had ever seen, his eyes crinkling at the corners, teeth showing and a rosy blush covering his cheeks.

"You idiot, that's my line, come here and kiss me, sharpshooter." He brought Lance flush against him, chest to chest, breaths mingling in their closure.

"As you wish, samurai." And he kissed him, and it was as wonderful as every kiss they shared, heated, passionate, full of affection and love, full of tenderness and wonder, hearts bursting, brimming with the feeling of never wanting to let go.

They kissed and nipped at each other until they arrived to the castle, descending Red's ramp, clothes rumpled and hair disheveled, holding hands with dopey smiles on their faces.

Their friends were not amused.

\--

They had gotten and earful after that, Keith for being reckless and acting alone, and Lance for getting distracted in the middle of battle, Shiro had given them the talk, with his usual _'I'm not mad, just disappointed'_ speech, and he had even gotten Matt on line, the older Holt chastising both of them like a mother would have. Lance had joked about Matt being the wife while Shiro was the husband, Keith laughing softly by his side, said men had looked at them with a deadpan look, both turning at the same time, it had been quite unsettling, and they had quickly apologized.

Though it was still hilarious when Lotor, having still not arrived at the ship where Lance had been held, had transmitted a message about giving up the lions or else he was dead meat. The prince's face when Lance had appeared on screen and waved at him had been priceless, the humiliation the galran suffered fueling their future encounters, annoying Lance to no end.

It seemed Lotor had been personally offended by the fact that he managed to escape on his own, and the embarrassment he had to sustain while all the paladins laughed at him fueled his competitive nature, and in an attempt to restore his honor, he'd taken to try and kidnap Lance every chance he got. The first three times, Keith had been mad, worried to death, and in need of slaying galra left and right, not being able to rest until his husband was back safe in his arms.

Each time, though, Lance had managed to escape on his own, his infinite source of everyday knowledge working in his favour as he crafted increasingly strange plans, getting himself out of the prisons and into space without much of a problem. Lotor had made each cell more and more difficult to run away from each time, but Lance could wiggle himself out, always finding the weak point and using it to tip the scales in his favor.

By the sixth time it happened, though, it had gotten from worrisome, to and inconvenience, to an annoyance, and they developed a system, everytime Lotor kidnapped him, Keith would give him an hour, if he wasn't back at the castle by then, or somewhere in deep space broadcasting a distress signal, the red paladin would go and rescue him.

It had been a year, and so far it hadn't been needed.

Until now, that is.

Lance tried to estimate how much time had passed since he had been taken, _again,_ but couldn't really do much, his cell just a dark room filled with chains, which seemed to be the prince's favorites, because honestly, if he put Lance into some space shackles, he was sure he wouldn't be able to flee as easy, but it looked like Lotor had a soft spot for them, which, _creepy._

It was probably late, right now, it was difficult to tell in space, but his hands were itching, body restless, and he knew it was probably time to have his scheduled playtime hour with Marina. Just thinking about her made him homesick, even thought it was probably not too long ago he was taken, but he wanted to play with her hair, blow raspberries on her belly as she giggled and tried to run away from him, wanted to watch as Keith pretended to be a dragon and chased her around the room, the four year old whooping and yelping as she screamed in fake fright, only to be tackled to the ground by Lance, who would tickle her without mercy while she whined that it wasn't fair because her _papás_ were way too fast for her.

He missed his daughter.

Terribly so.

It brought to mind the first time he ever saw her, losing himself in his memories to try and forget his longing, even if it was just temporarily.

\--

The planet they were in was beautiful, it's skies were a light red while the waters were a clear white, the flora and fauna ranging from red o blue to all the colors of the rainbow, colorful and alive, it was a peaceful sight that he would have loved to imprint onto his mind forever...or at least take a picture.

He didn't even have a chance to do so.

Lotor's goons arrived, alongside space pirates, the scum of space, and working in tandem, they managed to bring the once beautiful planet to ruins and ash, no matter how much Voltron tried to defend it, the prince's army was way to big, too fast, and a few hours later, all it's resources had been taken, the planet sucked dry, left to rot and slowly dissolve into nothingness.

It broke his heart.

They quickly dismounted the lions and began the rescue and relief protocol, searching for survivors, anyone they could save, though it proved to be pointless when, after two hours, they still found nothing. Lance tried his best not to cry, but everytime he looked around, he caught sight of families slaughtered ruthlessly, plushies and toys from the small kids strewn around, broken and torn, nothing left of the good people that lived there but their ashes, buildings and people alike being burnt by the heavy fire Lotor had brought forth.

The prince wasn't usually this violent, and it unnerved Lance, thinking that maybe there was some internal strife going on, since some of the soldiers had only followed Zarkon, believing in his ideals, and weren't really loyal to his son, who preferred submission to destruction.

He glanced around and his eyes met Keith's, who looked as broken as Lance felt, not used to such failure and hopelessness, and Lance, about to burst at the seams with grief, decided that a hug was in order, both of them needed comfort right now, and he was a tick away from wailing and crying if he didn't get any soon.

He began walking towards his husband, only to stop dead on his tracks, for a second, he thought he heard something, a soft noise coming from his right. He tuned out everything else around him, and used his ability as the Blue paladin to heighten his senses, focusing on locating where the sound was coming from.

As soon as he pinpointed where it originated from, he turned around sharply, focusing his hearing and attention onto that particular building, going as far as to hold his breath so nothing would disturb his concentration.

There it was again, a small whine, a soft cry....the weeping of a child.

Eyes wide and body tense, he moved as fast as his feet would allow him, entering the crumbling, burning building while Keith screamed from behind him, telling him how dangerous it was to go in. But he didn't care, there was someone there, they were alive, and by god he was going to save them no matter what. His determination never dwindled down even as the walls started shaking and rubble fell over him, slicing his cheek and eye and drawing blood, even as the fire burned his clothes and the tips of his hair and the smoke threatened to suffocate him.

He dodged the furniture and the rocks around him and tried to focus on listening to the small noises again, eventually locating them, they were coming from far down, the house must have had a basement in which the family took refuge. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he jumped and crouched and eventually descended on the dark cave that was the ground floor, shining his flashlight around to look for the survivor, hope filling his chest when he could still hear the small whines and cries.

And then he found _her._

She was below what he supposed was the body of her mother, crying softly, little whines leaving her lips while her hands clutched at nothing, asking to be held, her round pink eyes looking at him while she babbled.

And he broke.

He kneeled down and cradled her in his arms, her pitiful cries dimming slightly but never ceasing, he felt himself crying, sobbing uncontrollably, gasping and wheezing as her small hands gripped his undersuit with all the force she could muster. He ran a hand tenderly over her green hair, stroking it gently, murmuring soothing words and rocking back and forth, trying to calm her down, show her she was fine, he got her, it was okay.

She was barely a year old, nothing but a baby, and Lance remembered right then how much he hated this war, how he longed to see it end, how every time a mission failed he felt himself crack, again and again, not being able to take the suffering that came with knowing that they weren't able to save everyone.

It was heartbreaking.

He was brought to the present by a loud crack and a strong tremor echoing around him, reminding him that the building was unstable and he needed to get our, _now._ He stood and clutched the small girl tight and secure in his arms, resolve running through his veins, and he made a mad dash towards the surface, catching any stray metal or debris with his own body, protecting the small life he held in his arms with all he had.

His armor cracked, he bled, his joints hurt and his muscles ached, he felt like he couldn't breath, but he wasn't going to stop, not until this child was safe and sound. He ran up the stairs and climbed as best as he could, his hands getting scraped and burnt in the midst of the wreckage. As soon as he was out, though, he heard Keith's voice, screaming his name, voice hoarse and cracked, filled with desperation.

"Lance, Lance!! Please, please, come out! Lance! The building is burning, its gonna fall!" Hearing his husband made him tear up again, he'd jumped headfirst into this situation, not thinking about anyone or anything but his own pain and how much he wanted to appease his sense of guilt.

"Let me go, Shiro! I have to go in, I need to save him! It's collapsing!" Keith screeched and whined, yelling, fearing for Lance's safety, and even in the dark, fire burning bright and surrounding him, he heard him, loud and clear, and followed his voice until he saw the light filtering through a window. He barely managed to jump trough it, landing outside, when the building caved in on itself, rubble and smoke filling the air around him, making him cough, dizzy and breathless, he knelt on the floor and nearly fell forward.

"Lance, Lance!" He felt arms cradle him close, brushing his hair out of his sweaty forehead gently, careful not to hurt his eye, which was still bleeding steadily, dripping down his chin.He opened his eyes and saw Keith eyeing him worriedly, chewing on his lip and trembling slightly.

"Hey there, pretty." His husband frowned and let out shaky breath, opening his mouth to say something, frowning and with anger in his eyes, trying to cover up the fear he felt, though all of that was lost when the bundle in his arms wiggled, a tiny hand coming out of the small blanket and landing on Keith's cheek, patting it twice before a giggle was heard.

Lance looked down at his own chest, and slowly, with shaking hands, unraveled the piece of cloth, showing the small baby, her dark brown skin contrasting with the white shade of the cloth. She looked around, sniffling quietly before her big pink eyes landed on Keith, she stared at him for a tick before patting his cheeks again, this time with both hands, and then she smiled, and gurgled a stream of nonsense to him.

And Keith began to cry.

He weeped and sniffled and held Lance tighter, sobbing in sync with him while he tried to breathe trough the pain, an immense sense of relief washing over him, leaving him laying limp on his husbands arms, spent and sore and bleeding, but so, so relieved he had managed to save her. It filled his heart with warmth to listen to her laughter, her weight a comforting sensation that made emotions unknown to him rise deep inside his chest.

"She...she's ours." He looked up at Keith, tilting his head in wonder. "She's ours Lance, we're going to take care of her, she's.....she's our daughter, I'm never letting her go." He teared up again, _family_ , something that he knew Keith had always wanted, but couldn't have, a void inside of him that had been born when his mother left him and his father died.

Lance had promised him a family, someday, thinking of adopting a child when they got back to Earth, but... _but._..He looked down at her, and knew he wouldn't be able to send her away, leave her in some orphanage to grow alone, they couldn't go back in time or change what happened, what they could do, however, was look forward, towards the future, together.

"Yeah....yeah....we'll...we'll take care of her, I'm not leaving her alone in some...space orphanage...no way...we're gonna be a family....the best parents in the universe...you'll see..." He smiled and closed his eyes, sleepy beyond belief, and decided that Keith could deal with the rest, he just needed a nap.

\--

Afterwards, he'd been put into a healing pod, though a scar still remained above his brow and his eye lost a bit of vision, but nothing too noticeable. They had shared with their friends their desire to adopt the small child, and, at first, the others hadn't been sure about it, worried about what kind of life she would lead, in the heart of a warship. But a giggle from her and some pouts had done them in, and they had agreed, though with some conditions.

Coran had to create a safe room, basically, a chamber separated from the ship, with a cryo pod inside and filled with supplies and other stuff, a place where they could put Marina (they choose the name between Keith and himself) when things got dangerous, and in the event that they were in serious peril, they would put her to sleep, and the chamber slash ship would fly away to the Balmera, where she would be safe.

They also had to make the ship child proof and add a lot of changes, but nobody complained, the lively atmosphere she brought was a nice change to their war filled lives, she was a bundle of joy and too much energy, always tumbling around and wanting to learn new things.

He's not ashamed to admit he cried the first time she called him _papa._

And Keith outright wept when she called him Dad and took her first steps towards him, as much as he loved to deny it ( _I have proof recorded on video, honey.)_

It had been beautiful, he had taken a thousand photos and made an album that filled more and more as the years passed by, they officially adopted her on a nearby planet, getting all the documentation and legal stuff, and he'd added that photo to the bunch, proud and beaming with affection at having the piece of paper that stated she was officially Marina Kogane McClain.

The photo album was so full at one point, though, that they had to buy a new one, though it was increasingly difficult to take pictures of their daughter, she took after her parents, always running around, playing, tinkering with machines or playing pranks, lately she had taken a liking to knives ( _dammit Keith_ ) since she watched her dad play with them or train, and she'd gotten interested.

But she was only four as of now, and they had to explain to her that no, she couldn't have one, and no, she couldn't learn how to use one yet, she had beamed at the _yet_ , though, and told them she was going to be a paladin in the future too, that she was going to protect her papa and dad and her uncles when she was older.

He'd been so proud he hugged her until she begged mercy.

Back to the matter at hand, though, up till now, he'd never been scared when Lotor had kidnapped him, it was obvious his tricks to get away would only work once, but he was smart, came up with idea after idea everytime, and managed to outsmart the prince on every encounter they had. The prince had never hurt him too badly, seemingly invested on their squabble and intent on proving that he was smarter and more powerful than Lance, focusing all his efforts on being one step ahead of him.

It was different this time.

Today, they had been on a rutinary mission, keep safe some cargo ships transporting supplies to one planet, make sure they arrived at their destination, help store everything and go back home. It hadn't gone as planned, they'd been ambushed on their way to the building, galran soldiers and sentries alike surrounding them and attacking from all sides, quickly overwhelming them.

Shiro had put together a plan, hasty and not foolproof, but enough to get by and actually survive, and they had fought, tooth and nail, dodging, kicking, shooting, using the terrain to their advantage, relentless, not leaving an opening for their enemies to use against them.

But half-way through the battle, Lance had wondered just what were the soldiers doing there, they weren't trying to steal the supplies, neither were they trying to decimate the population or enslave them, they were completely focused on Voltron, and it rubbed him the wrong way for some reason.

His feeling of foreboding came to be true all too soon, when he caught a glimpse of a dagger to his right, and he'd been covering Keith, his reaction time slowed down, so it was no wonder the dagger met it's intended target, stabbing him right on the shoulder, not aiming to kill, but to incapacitate.

He had dropped his bayard with a scream, but it got cut off as soon as it left his lips, body seizing and not being able to move, he'd realized a tad too late that his attacker had been, in fact, Narti, who was well known for her mind controlling abilities. They usually didn't work on the paladins, though, the lions protecting their minds, but taken by surprise and weakened by the injury at the same time, she'd caught him off guard, and totally paralyzed him, leaving him useless and unmoving.

She picked him up fast, and unlike the other occasions that he'd been taken by Lotor, this time Keith's screams had followed him all the way to unconsciousness, he practically felt his husband's fear, the panic, his wrath burning bright and setting alight the forest around him.

And that brought him back to right now, his shoulder wound wrapped sloppily and still bleeding, body bruised and sore, chained to the walls and completely isolated, unlike the other instances when this happened, though, this time he wasn't going to try and escape.

Because if Keith learnt that he got even more hurt while trying to get away, instead of waiting for him to rescue his ass, he was gonna be pissed, and he would shout at him for being an idiot, and their daughter would look at them in confusion before tearing up, not liking it when they argued, and he didn't want that, no sir.

So he stayed put, and hoped his _cariño_ would soon appear to sweep him off his feet.

Not a tick later, the steel door opened, and instead of his beautiful lover, prince Lotor appeared, long hair flowing after him as he stalked right up to Lance, looking down on him -both figuratively and literally- smirking when he saw that he didn't seem to be trying to escape in the slightest.

"Well well, if it isn't our favorite resident escapist, how are you liking your new quarters? Comfortable I hope?" His voice was filled with superiority and smugness, and oh, how much would Lance love to punch the daylights out of him, wipe that smirk off his pretty face.

"Yeah, really like the decorations too, the chains are a good touch, real classy." He grinned back at the prince, bored out of his mind and tired of the prince's strange obsession with him, honestly, it's been, what, a year? How long could a person hold a grudge? Because it seemed this guy wasn't letting it go anytime soon.

"Cheeky as always, I see, but for how long? I don't see you trying to escape this time, finally given up?" He smirked, showing his teeth, proud at himself, thinking he had finally defeated Lance, how was he so naive? This wasn't about winning or losing, it was about being _smart_. All those times he'd been kidnapped, he'd always sought information, eavesdropping on the patrols, hacking on the computers when he could, stealing data and supplies.

For a whole year now, he'd been gathering intel, using Lotor's petty grudge against him, diverting his attention from other matters, from Voltron, from the alliance, and they were close, really close to form the ultimate plan, to deal the last strike and finally be rid of Zarkon's spawn once and for all. So yeah, he wasn't too concerned about escaping right now, this time he would play the helpless guy, waiting for his hero to come and save him, he wouldn't be long now.

"Ehh, believe what you want, you know if I was in top condition and not hurt, I'd be flying out of here already." He cackled at the flustered look on the prince's face, frustration clear in his expression and every move.

"Continue this farce all you like, I've defeated you, you're unable to escape this prison, you've lost, paladin. And with you out of the way, I'll finally be able to defeat all your comrades." Lance perked up at that, curiosity getting the better of him, wondering exactly what the prince was implying with that.

"What do you mean by that?" He tilted his head in confusion.

"Don't think I haven't noticed the dynamic between you and the other paladins, you are like the heart of Voltron, you power them up like a battery, rising their energy and enthusiasm, keeping them afloat, they've survived some precarious situations because you were there." Lance raised an eyebrow, utterly surprised and dumbfounded for once, he had never noticed, never thought of himself that way, but if Lotor did, it was no surprise he wanted to take Lance out of the picture.

"Specially that red paladin, your synchrony with him is astounding, you fight together like the olden galran warriors, each feeding on the other's presence to strive, be better, faster, stronger. Without you, I'm sure the red paladin is lost, it will be easy to defeat him now that he has lost his partner, Voltron is weakened because I have you, it's my win." Lance just blinked and bit his lip, trying really hard not to laugh, but _god_ did he want to, Lotor didn't know what he was saying, what awaited him, he was in for a surprise.

"I have to get going now, I have an universe to take over, enjoy the rest of your life in this cell." And with that he walked out, the room basking in complete darkness again, he counted to ten, then to fifty, then to sixty, and finally, after taking a deep breath, he laughed, loud and boisterous, coming from deep in his stomach, he laughed so hard he cried, wheezing and gasping, trying to control his breathing but failing.

He couldn't help it, it was hilarious.

Lotor thought that with Lance gone, Keith would wither, roaming around like a lost soul, lifeless and without the energy to fight at a hundred percent, missing a part of himself...it was the complete opposite. Keith was half galra, everyone knew that -except Lotor it seemed- his instincts often made him act protective and possessive about everyone around him, specially about his family.

He still remembers that one time a pirate had tried to shoot him in the face, Keith had cut the guy's arm off, snarling and growling, ready to tear the guy to shreds, it had been gory and scary, and his husband had apologized later, saying that sometimes he couldn't control his actions, but that he was trying, and Lance bowed to help him trough it.

So right now, with Lance gone, his aggression and his drive multiplied exponentially, he was a force of nature, fierce, relentless, working at rapid speeds and unimaginable levels of skill, destroying everything in his path, not going to rest until Lance was snuggled besides him again.

Yeah, Lotor was pretty fucked.

His prediction came real a few minutes later, when a loud explosion shook the ship, making Lance smirk while he chuckled, feeling Red purring on the back of his mind. It seemed his ride was here to take him home, too bad he couldn't move to speed things up, he'll just have to wait, he supposed.

Sometime later, he heard footsteps approaching, the sound of metal being torn echoing around the hallways, and a tick later, the most gorgeous man he had ever seen stepped inside the room, going straight to Lance and dropping on his knees, were he proceeded to kiss the daylights out of him, intense, heated, wild, desperate, and so, so _Keith_.

They separated and he heaved, breathless "Well, hello to you too, love." Keith sighed and held Lance's shoulders, resting his forehead against one of them before taking notice of his wound, and backing away sharply, eyeing the blood with disdain.

"Shit, you're bleeding. Why do you always get hurt? I'm _this_ close to snapping and wringing Lotor's neck, too bad that snake managed to escape." Lance raised an eyebrow, now curious as to what happened. "I fought him on my way here, landed a few hits on him, nearly beheaded him, too, I missed by a hair's breadth, but I took something back with me." He brought out something from his pocket and Lance watched in fascination as Lotor's white locks fell to the ground, he was shocked for a tick before he broke out laughing.

A few minutes later, after he'd calmed down, Keith unsheathed his bayard, forming his flaming sword, and quickly destroyed the chains, Lance's left arm falling limp against his side, probably dislocated, and he hissed in discomfort.

"Are you okay? What hurts?" Keith tenderly stroked his arm, his shoulder, his legs, trying to gauge how grave his injuries were and if he needed immediate medical attention, he had destroyed the chains, but could do nothing about the shackles still clasped around his wrists and legs, which pissed Keith off, from what Lance could see.

"I'm fine, I think my arm's dislocated, my shoulder is still stabbed and bleeding and honestly, I can't really feel my legs, don't think I can walk right now." He smiled sheepishly at Keith, the other's worried gaze looking him over before nodding to himself, sheathing his bayard and crouching down right besides Lance. He winded an arm behind Lance, around his back, and another under his legs, careful not to jostle him too much, he then braced his feet on the floor and pulled himself up, Lance cradled on his arms as if he weighted nothing.

It made him blush like a lovesick teenager.

"Well, damn, that was hot." Keith glared at him from the corner of his eye, grumbling softly as he walked out of the prison cell, the light momentarily blinding Lance from being in the dark so long.

"Babe, hey, you don't have to carry me, seriously, I must weight a ton, with the armor and shackles and stuff." He peeked at his husband from behind his eyelashes, concerned that he wouldn't be able to defend himself if he was carrying Lance, his weight must also be bothering the red paladin, since the shackles remained even as he destroyed the chains, it was probably painful having to hold him while he walked.

"Don't be an idiot, you weight next to nothing, besides, it's not as if you can walk right now." Keith's mood turned sour, gaze shifting towards Lance's legs -which his husband had admitted to really liking many times before- eyes burning with a desire for revenge, his protectiveness shining trough his gaze, making his grasp tighten while he growled low in his throat.

Lance regarded his legs thoughtfully, they had been chained really tight, to the point that blood could barely flow trough his veins, it had made it almost impossible to get up and try to run away. It had hurt a lot, at first, but as time passed and he didn't move from his spot, they cramped and seized, and eventually became numb, it worried him, actually, but he would have time for such concerns later, when they were safe back home.

Keith's wrath didn't diminish in the slightest, the more he watched Lance's legs, the angrier he became, watching trough the tears on his undersuit as his sun kissed skin was bruised and broken in some areas, bleeding around where the shackles were still clasped around his tights. He knew Keith hadn't tried to cut them off for fear of hurting him, but his precision and skill with a sword were unrivaled, so Lance had no qualms about him trying, it would feel infinitely better to have them off, he told him this much, waiting for his answer.

"I don't know, I could cut you or make it worse, I don't want to risk it." Keith frowned, mouth in a tight line, the fire on his eyes still burning, though less wild than before.

"Babe, _cariño_ , we've been together for seven years now, we both know you can cut these shitty things off and not nick a hair on my body, why are you doubting yourself?" Honestly, Keith was amazing with his sword -both ones- but he still hesitated sometimes, even when Lance knew he would definitely succeed, he couldn't get through his thick head that his skills were spectacular and precise and just plain amazing.

"I don't know, when it comes to you, the sole idea of me hurting you makes me panic. Just like in the past, when I thought that I would one day go full galra and kill you in your sleep." A laugh bubbled up in Lance's throat and he had to let it out, he giggled and nuzzled his head on Keith's chest, trying to hide his smile, to no avail.

The only galran thing Keith had developed over the years had been his instincts, his protective nature, his night vision, some patches of purple skin here and there, and sometimes, if the circumstances were right and the planets aligned, his purring.

Yeah, so menacing.

"I get it, really, but I trust you and your ability to handle a sword, besides, it'll be easier for us to escape without these things slowing us down." His lover hesitated, not eager to go along with his idea, but eventually, he let Lance down, reclining him on one of the metal walls and transforming his bayard, his sword shining a bright red, heated beyond belief for what he was going to do next. Before he had a chance to blink, Keith slashed in quick movements and then stood still, breaths quiet and stance remaining, a tick later, with a loud booming noise, the metal fell to the floor, the clanging echoing around the hallway and making Lance flinch.

Keith was by his side in a second, taking note of every injury and every scrape on his skin, biting his lip as his hands eventually fell down Lance's thighs and onto his knees, he was bleeding a little from various spots all over the place, but the relief he felt at having the metal off overshadowed the burning he felt as he tried to move them.

With a nod from Lance, Keith lifted him up again, this time effortlessly and swift, and his lover didn't waste any time to take off like lightning and run towards Red, who was waiting a few feet over, her purring curling around him in a protective embrace.

As soon as they were on the cockpit, she lifted off, used to having to fly solo after so many years of handling her paladins. Keith sat on the pilot chair, and carefully positioned Lance so he was as comfortable as possible, which just made him snuggle into the red paladin's arms and nuzzle his neck with his nose, exhaling a puff of air, relaxed, safe, content.

He felt as if he was going to drift off anytime now.

"Hey now, don't sleep just yet, I don't know if you have a concussion or something." He didn't remember getting one, but if he had, he wouldn't really know, but he was beat, his whole body ached, muscles tense and sore and the burning on his legs and shoulder were annoying him to no end, he wanted to scratch at it, but knew he shouldn't.

Begrudgingly, he opened his eyes, and immediately was gazing into Keith's purple one's, it always looked to him like there were stars trapped in his eyes, shining brightly every time their eyes met, they were beautiful, going from purple to magenta to lilac, a myriad of colors swirling around like space dust.

He stared lovingly at his soulmate, wanting to say anything to convey his feelings, how his heart jumped out of his chest everytime Keith smiled, how his pulse accelerated when he touched Lance, how Keith's smile could light up a room and Lance's life like it was nothing, how his tender kisses and his passionate ones left him breathless, toes tingling and breath hitching.

He wanted to tell him how his voice felt like home, how the way he stared at Lance made him feel like he was the most precious thing in the universe, how he woke up sometimes, looking at Keith sleeping besides him, hair ruffled, a small smile on his lips, and couldn't believe the happiness he felt, couldn't believe it was real.

He wanted to say many things. What he got out, instead, was this.

"Well, it seems prince charming has managed a successful rescue, yeah?" He grinned at the red paladin, who huffed and rolled his eyes, the hand on Lance's back rubbing small circles in a calming manner.

"That would make you the damsel in distress, wouldn't it?" Keith smirked and cackled when Lance sputtered and moaned, trying in vain to punch his lover on the arm, feeling offended.

"I'm no damsel, I'm a handsome young man, and I was in no distress whatsoever, just....slightly inconvenienced." Keith chuckled and rested his forehead against Lance's.

"Sure, you keep telling yourself that." Lance pouted, closing his eyes for a tick before opening them abruptly, gasping.

"Shit, we forgot my bayard!" He scrambled to get up before Keith forcibly held him down so he wouldn't hurt himself anymore.

"Idiot, you dropped your bayard when Narti stabbed you, remember?" Ohhh yeah, he had totally blanked, it had been so fast he could barely make out anything, he sagged against Keith's chest, his heartbeat a reassuring sound, the rhythm of it calming.

"We got back to the castle and I took it back with me, last I saw it, Marina was playing with it." And that, _that_ was why Keith was a menace when Lance was not around.

"You left our four year old daughter alone and playing with my bayard?" He sounded mildly hysterical, but paid no heed to that fact, he had more important things to worry about.

"Er....no?" He smiled sheepishly.

"Oh my god Keith!" He gripped his shoulders tight and shook him back and forth.

"Calm down, the safe was on and the others were taking care of her! She missed you!" Abruptly, Lance stopped, his eyes widening and mouth open in a silent gasp. "She was tearing up, saying that maybe this time you wouldn't return, and I just, I wanted to reassure her somewhat, so I gave her your bayard, and told her that you never broke your promises, and that you'd be back, no matter what, because I knew you would fight tooth and nail to get back to her, to _us_. Lotor could try to hold you back all he wanted, but there was no way he could ever contain Lance K. McClain, you cannot cage sunlight, after all."

His jaw hit the floor, and he blushed as hard as that time drunk Keith had declared his undying love for Lance in the middle of a ballroom and asked to marry him, which would have been somewhat romantic, if only they hadn't been married for two years already.

His worry and anger faded quickly and he whined, hiding his face on Keith's neck, clutching his shirt and trying not to combust.

"Stooooop, you can't just say things like that." He tried to hide deeper into the crook of Keith's neck.

"Sorry, can't stop, won't stop." He felt the vibrations as his husband chuckled, full of mirth.

"Good god I can't believe how much I love you." He finally leaned away from his hiding place, nose touching Keith's, mouth just a breath away.

Instead of replying, Keith just kissed him like he always did, like it was the first time, the last time, with reckless abandon, fiery, passionate, full of fire and warmth.

And he thought that, hey, maybe this time he could deal with being the damsel in distress, it had involved vasts amounts of cradling, kisses, hugs and flirting, the only downside having gotten hurt, having to deal with Lotor, and those.goddamned.chains.

Next time he saw Lotor he was going to deck _him_ in the face, see how he likes it.

Right now, though, he'll just focus on kissing Keith.

 

**Author's Note:**

> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/talklance  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ultiwrites
> 
> For those who are wondering the ages of Klance on every flashback or event, here you have it:
> 
> L-19/K-20: Defeated Zarkon and became officially BF.  
> L-22/K-23: Became engaged and Married the day after.  
> L-23/K-24: Rescued Marina (1 yr old) and adopted her.  
> L-26/K-27: Present time, Marina is 4.


End file.
